Live impeachment updates: Prosecutors end arguments; Trump lawyer calls trial 'weaponization' of impeachment
Trump lawyer calls trial 'weaponization' of impeachment
After House managers finished their opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial, some Republican senators huddled with former President Donald Trump’s defense team Thursday to discuss what the defense lawyers would argue in their opening Friday.
David Schoen, one of Trump’s lawyers, said everyone has condemned the violence at the Capitol, but that House managers hadn’t linked Trump to it.
“I think it’s a politically partisan process,” Schoen said of impeachment. “I think it’s the political weaponization of it.”
Schoen also criticized the videos that managers presented that detailed what happened during the riot.
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“I think by hiring a movie company to make a firm and a law firm to make a film as an entertainment piece is horrific, frankly,” Schoen said.
Schoen said the defense would take three or four hours for its arguments. He said the Senate could move to up to four hours of questions for both sides on Friday.
“I think the schedule is to go to question and answer,” Schoen said. “I think if there’s enough time, I would certainly think they would start that tomorrow.”
— Bart Jansen
Several Democratic senators say witnesses are not necessary
Several Democratic senators said there was no need to bring more witnesses in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial unless Trump himself testified. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told reporters they had heard from enough people through the “interviews and video presentation” played so far, so “I feel like we've heard from enough witnesses.”
“I think that Donald Trump could certainly come and give his explanation of the day. But otherwise, it feels like to me we're done,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
And Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, told reporters “I think the case has been made. I don’t know what witnesses would add.”
The trial rules approved by the full Senate allowed for a vote on witnesses if House managers asked for one. They had requested Trump testify before the Senate, but he rejected the offer.
Leaving the Senate, Democratic impeachment managers Reps. Ted Lieu and Eric Swalwell declined to answer shouted questions from reporters on whether they’d ask for a vote on witnesses.
— Nicholas Wu
Prosecution rests after two days in Trump impeachment trial
Democratic managers wrapped up the second and final day of their arguments against Donald Trump, contending that the comments of loyal insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol at his behest and a lack of remorse from the then-president about the siege prove his guilt.
“We believe that we have shown you overwhelming evidence in this case that would convince anyone using their common sense that this was indeed incitement,” lead manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told the assembled senators. “Meaning that Donald Trump’s conduct encouraged violence, violence was foreseeable, and he acted willfully in the actions that encouraged violence.”
While not nearly as emotional as Wednesday’s presentation, which was dominated by fresh video and audio clips that harrowingly detailed the violent clashes and narrow escapes of the siege, Thursday’s arguments were more clinical and meant to hammer home Trump’s guilt.
The Democratic managers spent hours trying to show how Trump bore direct blame for a deadly assault mounted by loyalists who believed he had summoned them to Washington to stop Congress from affirming Joe Biden’s Nov. 3 victory based on a “big lie” that the election was stolen from Trump.
They used clips from some who participated in the siege, claiming they showed up there because he asked them to “stop the steal.” They chronicled what they said was his lack of remorse for his role in the assault. And they rebutted the arguments from Trump’s lawyers that his comments urging those at a rally the same day to “fight like hell” was protected political speech.
"We humbly, ask you to convict President Trump for the crime for which he is overwhelmingly guilty of, because if you don’t, if we pretend this didn’t happen, or worse, if we let it go unanswered, who’s to say it won’t happen again?"
— Ledyard King and Savannah Behrmann
Prosecutors: Trump’s free speech rights not a legal defense for insurrection Democratic
House impeachment managers rebutted the argument by Donald Trump’s lawyers that the former president shouldn’t be convicted because his words at the rally that led up to the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol are protected political speech.
"To hear his lawyers tell it, he was just some guy at a rally expressing unpopular opinions,” Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., told the senators Thursday at the impeachment trial. “They would have you believe that this whole impeachment is because he said things that one may disagree with. Really?"
Trump lawyer Brice Castor told the Senate on Tuesday that while his client denounced the violence at the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob as “repugnant in every sense of the word,” he also said Trump’s words are protected speech that should not be blamed for the actions of others, namely the rioters.
“We can’t possibly be suggesting that we punish people for political speech in this country,” he said. And if people acted on those words “and they crossed the line, they should be locked up.”
But lead prosecutor, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the ex-president does not get a First Amendment "excuse” for the deadly riot at the Capitol that day given his incitement of the crowd and his relentlessly false allegations about a stolen election.
“Trump is not even close to the proverbial citizen who falsely shouts ‘fired’ in a crowded theater. He is like the now-proverbial municipal fire chief who incites a mob to go set the theater on fire, and not only refuses to put out the fire, but encourages the mob to keep going as the place spreads,” Raskin said. “ We would hold that fire chief accountable. We would forbid him from that job ever again. And that's exactly what must happen here.“
— Ledyard King and Savannah Behrmann
Castro: Insurrection hurt America’s standing around the world, demeaned democracy
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, laid out how the events of Jan. 6 damaged America's standing and the idea of a democracy around the world.
Castro laid out reports of countries such as China, Russia and Iran using the insurrection to “not only to denigrate America, but to justify their own antidemocratic behavior calling America hypocritical.”
“Russian, Iranian and Chinese influence actors have seized the opportunity to amplify narratives and further their policy interests amid the presidential transition,” he continued.
One example Castro pointed to was the Chinese government using the Capitol breach against support of the Hong Kong protesters, who are fighting for democracy.
“We cannot let them use what happened on January 6 to define us, who we are and what we stand for. We get to define ourselves by how we respond to the attack of January 6,” Castro said.
“The world is watching us and wondering whether our constitutional republic is going to respond the way it should,” he continued. “Let us remind the world that we are truly their North Star.”
— Savannah Behrmann
Prosecutors use followers' own words to show president’s incitement
Jacob Chansley came from Arizona to “stop the steal” on Jan. 6. Jennifer Ryan flew from Texas to support President Donald Trump that day too. And Doug Sweet drove from Virginia because Trump wanted his “digital soldiers” to show up.
The three were among thousands of Trump supporters who participated in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, drawn by the president’s command that they be there to stop Congress from affirming Joe Biden’s victory in the Nov. 3 election.
At least that’s the argument Democratic managers prosecuting Trump’s impeachment trial tried to hammer home Thursday. As evidence, they went through the statements some of them made after they were arrested in the riot.
“Even after the attack, the insurrectionists made clear to law enforcement that they were just following President Trump’s orders,” Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., told senators. “They didn’t shy away from their crimes because they thought they were following orders from the commander in chief and so they would not be punished. They were wrong.”
DeGette pointed to several suspects who were arrested, including Riley June Williams, the Pennsylvania woman who stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during the siege.
During a court hearing last month, Williams’ lawyer said her client regretted taking “the president’s bait” by participating in the assault.
And in a media interview DeGette played for the senators, Ryan explained that her motivation was pure.
“Personally, I didn't feel a sense of shame or guilt from my heart, from what I was doing,” she said. “I thought I was following my president. I thought I was following what we were called to do. He asked us to fly there he asked us to be there. So I was doing what he asked us to do.”
– Ledyard King
Trump lawyer Schoen calls House managers’ case ‘offensive’
One of former President Donald Trump’s defense lawyers at his Senate impeachment trial, David Schoen, said House Democrats are presenting their case as "an entertainment package" and called their case "offensive.”
In an interview on Fox News on Thursday, he said Trump's defense team will in part focus on the "hypocrisy" of the House Democrats' case.
Schoen insisted Trump does not want to be associated with the breach on Jan. 6 and that senators will get "a much better picture of what's going on here" when their team presents, starting Friday.
– Savannah Behrmann
Lieu: Trump never showed remorse in aftermath of riot
As part of their closing argument, Democratic managers tried to portray former President Donald Trump as someone who not only invited the protestors to invade the Capitol on Jan. 6 but never showed remorse for egging the crowd on.
In fact, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., cited how Trump tweeted a video during the riot in which he said while protestors should go home, they were “very special people.”
“This is not a man who showed remorse,” Lieu told the senators.
Lieu said Trump has had ample opportunity to not only condemn his supporters’ acts on Jan. 6 but to prevent future violence. Even in a Jan. 13 video where Trump spoke from the White House to condemn the attack, the president never expressed remorse.
“He doesn’t say in that video, for example 'Everything I said went too far,’ And he does not say the one sentence that matters, the one sentence that would prevent future political violence: ‘The election was not stolen,’” Lieu told the senators. “He still has not said that sentence. That is why National Guard troops in full body armor still patrol outside.”
– Ledyard King
Raskin: Capitol riots part of Trump's 'pattern' of 'inciting violence'
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead House prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, said Thursday the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was “not the first time Trump enflamed a mob," referring to other times the former president appeared to sympathize with violent tactics.
Raskin, D-Md., played videos of Trump at several rallies to prove his point.
He highlighted incidents at campaign rallies from 2015 and 2016, including Trump praising a Republican candidate who assaulted a journalist, and his claim there were "very fine people on both sides” after the deadly Charlottesville clashes between counter-protesters and white nationalists.
"These tactics were road tested. Jan. 6 was a culmination of the president's actions, not an aberration from them. The insurrection was the most violent and dangerous episode so far in Donald Trump's continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence," Raskin said.
Raskin also highlighted Trump’s rhetoric towards Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before protesters breached Michigan’s Capitol Building in Lansing over coronavirus restrictions.
Raskin added that the attackers in Michigan were “emboldened by his praise and his encouragement and support."
– Savannah Behrmann
Rep. Diana DeGette: 'The president told them to be there'
House impeachment prosecutor Rep. Diana DeGette began impeachment trial proceedings Wednesday by saying the mob that stormed the Capitol Jan. 6 was acting because former President Donald Trump directed them.
“Who sent them here?” DeGette asked. “I want to step back from the horrors of the attack itself and look at Jan. 6 from a totally different perspective, the perspective of the insurrectionists themselves.”
House Democratic prosecutors, known as managers, expect to finish their arguments Thursday in the Senate impeachment trial of Trump, who is charged with inciting the violence on Jan. 6.
Rioters said at the time and in later statements to authorities that they had come to the Capitol at Trump’s invitation.
“Their own statements before, during and after the attack make clear the attack was done for Donald Trump, at his instructions and to fulfill his wishes,” DeGette said. “Donald Trump had sent them there.”
“We know that because they said so,” she added. “Folks, this was not a hidden crime. The president told them to be there.”
Trump is charged with inciting the insurrection. But his defense lawyers and Republican senators have said he can’t be blamed for the mob’s actions.
At one point, DeGette referred to Texas real estate agent Jennifer Ryan, who during an interview that appeared on the monitor, said this: "Personally I didn't feel a sense of shame or guilt from my heart, from what I was doing. I thought I was following my president. I thought I was following what we were called to do. He asked us to fly there. He asked us to be there. So I was doing what he asked us to do."
– Bart Jansen
Sen. Lindsey Graham: Prosecution's arguments were ‘offensive and absurd’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Wednesday the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump was all but over and “the 'Not Guilty' vote is growing after today.”
He dismissed Wednesday’s presentation by House managers, which included graphic footage of the breach on the Capitol Jan. 6 and new security camera footage that highlighted the intended violence from the mob, and a few close calls.
Graham claimed he thought “most Republicans found the presentation by the House Managers offensive and absurd.”
However, several GOP senators that spoke about the videos called them “disturbing” and “riveting”.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA., the one surprise GOP vote Tuesday to continue the trial, said the managers’ presentation was “very powerful.”
But Graham told Capitol Hill reporters Wednesday he had spoken to Trump and “reinforced to the president, the case is over. It’s just a matter of getting the final verdict now.”
– Savannah Behrmann
Third day of Trump’s Senate trial begins
Corrections and clarifications: The Associated Press, citing unidentified sources, reported in January that Officer Brian Sicknick may have been hit in the head by a fire extinguisher. But no official cause of death has been released, and U.S. Capitol Police have said only that he died “due to injuries sustained while on-duty.”
The third day of former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial began Thursday with House prosecutors picking up their arguments.
The House Democratic prosecutors, who are called managers, will finish their opening arguments Thursday and are expected to highlight Trump’s role leading up to the Capitol riots Jan. 6, his lack of action during the breach, and the absence of his remorse.
The managers are anticipated to also highlight legal technical arguments regarding different aspects of the case, including if the president's words leading up to the insurrection fall under the First Amendment.
Republicans appeared to be moved by the graphic videos shown by House managers Wednesday, which included several clips of previously unseen security camera footage.
– Savannah Behrmann
GOP senator: Trump impeachment trial could end Saturday
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump could be wrapped up Saturday.
House Democrats serving as prosecutors, known as managers, are finishing their opening arguments Thursday. Trump’s defense team would then have up to 16 hours over two days to make their opening arguments.
But David Schoen, one of Trump's lawyers, said he didn't think the team would use their full time. “Hope not,” Schoen said.
Witnesses could greatly extend the length of the trial. But if both sides don't request witnesses, senators would have up to four hours to pose written questions, which are read by the presiding officer, to both sides.
After questions, each side would have up to two hours for closing arguments.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said the trial could spill into Sunday. “The last I heard was Saturday, but I'm not sure that's going to be possible,” Capito said. “I think it may be more like Sunday.”
– Bart Jansen
Biden says trial videos may have changed some minds
President Joe Biden, who has avoided commenting on the impeachment trial of his predecessor, weighed in Thursday when asked whether he’d seen graphic videos of the Jan. 6 riots shown publicly for the first time during Wednesday’s proceedings.
Biden said he didn’t watch the trial as it was happening but saw news coverage of it after working all day on other issues.
"My guess is some minds may have been changed," Biden told reporters before an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers about infrastructure. "But I don't
Biden has maintained a busy schedule aimed in part at sending the message that he is not letting the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump distract him from working on the pandemic and other pressing issues.
"I'm focused on my job ... to deal with the promises I made. And we all know we have to move on," Biden said.
– Maureen Groppe
Prosecutors to argue Trump showed no remorse during riots
House prosecutors will end their opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump by trying to show how Trump failed to act as the Capitol riots grew worse and that his actions have done lasting harm to the United States.
House Democrats prosecuting the case, known as managers, will argue Thursday that Trump failed to take action to quell the violence and showed no remorse as the horrific events unfolded, according to aides.
The managers will also argue that Trump’s actions harmed the country beyond the immediate violence of that day, according to aides. In their written brief, managers said Trump harmed national security because rioters gained access to sensitive documents and stole a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. The brief also argued that Trump emboldened violent extremists.
Capitol security footage:Harrowing new footage shows how close the mob got to Pence, Congress and staff during Jan. 6 assault
Heads in hands, a whisper, a sigh:Senators react as violent footage of Capitol riot plays at Trump impeachment trial
The presentation follows Wednesday arguments where managers played video – some of it from security cameras or police body cameras that had never been seen before – to document the violence of rioters brawling with police and occupying the Senate chamber. Rioters rampaged through the building searching for Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Trump’s defense team and Republican senators have agreed that the riot was repugnant and horrific, but argued that Trump can’t be held responsible for the mob’s actions. The lawyers contend Trump’s speech to the crowd before it marched on the Capitol is protected by the First Amendment.
– Bart Jansen
House prosecutors to wrap up arguments Thursday
WASHINGTON – House prosecutors will complete opening arguments Thursday in the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, following a full day of presentations in which they played harrowing video of rioters clashing violently with police officers as former Vice President Mike Pence, staffers and members of Congress rushed to safety.
The video clips – some of it security footage that hadn't been released before – were a pivotal part of prosecutors' efforts Wednesday to connect the violence of the Capitol riots to the words and actions of Trump, who is charged with inciting the insurrection Jan. 6.
House Democratic prosecutors, known as managers, interspersed the videos into hours of presentations in which they described how Trump baselessly attacked the outcome of the 2020 election, called supporters to Washington to protest the Jan. 6 counting of electoral votes, then delayed action as his supporters broke into the Capitol in a deadly riot.
Capitol riot footage:Harrowing new footage shows how close the mob got to Pence, Congress and staff during Jan. 6 assault
Heads in hands, a whisper, a sigh:Senators react as violent footage of Capitol riot plays at Trump impeachment trial
Among the more arresting moments captured on camera were Pence and his family being ushered to safety as the mob breached the Capitol, Sen. Mitt Romney being redirected to a safer location by a vigilant police officer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's staff barricading themselves inside an office before the rioters invaded.
Five people died in the melee, including a police officer and a woman shot by an officer outside the House chamber. Other officers were beaten, had their eyes gouged and one officer lost three fingers. The Associated Press, citing unidentified sources, reported that the officer who died, Brian Sicknick, may have been hit in the head by a fire extinguisher. But no official cause of death has been released, and U.S. Capitol Police have said only that he died “due to injuries sustained while on-duty” and provided no other details.
Impeachment manager Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., drew on Trump's tweets and speeches to make Democrats' case.
“Donald Trump for months and months assembled the tinder, the kindling, threw on fuel to have his supporters believe that the only way their victory would be lost was if it was stolen,” Swalwell said. “Instead of accepting the results, he told his base more lies. He doused the flames with kerosene.”
The nine managers will resume their arguments at noon in their final day of opening arguments. Managers said Wednesday they thought their evidence was compelling enough to convince more Senate Republicans to vote to convict Trump on the impeachment charge.
Takeaways from Day 2:New video, withdrawn comments: Takeaways from Day 2 of Trump's impeachment trial
But a two-thirds majority of the Senate is required for conviction, which would require at least 17 Republicans joining the 50 lawmakers who caucus with Democrats.
After House managers finish, Trump’s defense team led by Bruce Castor Jr. and David Schoen will have up to 16 hours over two days to make their arguments. Castor said the videos were powerful, but he hadn't heard the violence connected to Trump
“We know a mob breached the Capitol and wreaked havoc in the building,” Castor said. “I’m waiting for them to connect that up to President Trump and so far that hasn’t happened.”
– Bart Jansen